Stroke is one of the most common, and damaging, neurological afflictions.
Stroke causes widespread and variable chronic effects, due to the limited regenerative
ability of the adult brain. Altered gene expression induces neuronal changes
necessary for plasticity-dependent recovery, effects which can be enhanced by growth
hormone-based pharmaceuticals. These processes are driven by alterations in the
informational capacity of the genome – changes driven by epigenetic regulators.
Following experimental strokes, and treatment with EGF and EPO, this study shows
that two epigenetic regulatory mechanisms, DNA methylation and microRNA
regulation, are significantly altered, both in treated and untreated animals.
Specifically, treatment induces a net global suppression of miRNA activity, which
appears to modify the physical behaviour of neurons in domains ranging from
plasticity and memory formation, growth and replication, and potentially even to
neurological disease signalling. The confirmation of epigenetic alterations following
a stroke indicates a future role for epigenetic neuro-pharmacology in stroke
management.